Provided there is no intent to incite hatred or violence the Spurs fans (I am one) can chant what they like. It was an excellent move to take over the name for ourselves - just as the gays have taken over "queer".
There is no case in law to prevent our chants of Yiddo, and those who attempt to do so will be covered in egg as the chants continue.

... "Society of Black Lawyers (SBL) announced it would report Tottenham to the police if its fans continued to refer to themselves as Yids. Peter Herbert, the head of the society, said that it was “exposing the rather nasty underbelly of racism in British sport”.
The Society of Black Lawyers complaining about presumed racial exclusiveness? Shurely shome mistake here?
And when did a culture become a race?

Man united have a large right wing following? Where do you get the evidence for this? Having been born and raised in manchester in the 1970s and 1980s, in a family of united supporters, I can tell you i have never heard this suggestion before nor have I seen any evidence for it when visiting old Trafford.

My recollection of the time is that the most vehement anti-semitism of all was from Manchester United; probably worse even than Chelsea or West Ham, two clubs which had a more organised extreme-right fanbase. The other Spurs fans I have spoken to all singled out ManU. In the John Efron book that is mentioned in the article, ManU are also cited as being a particular problem in this regard.

Manchester is - and has always been - a home for Jews for a very long time. They are a well respected and welcome community. To suggest that the anti-semitism was most vehement from United is absolute nonsense. This comment is untrue and, frankly, absolutely disgraceful.

Come off of it, mate. He's not generalizing all of Manchester as anti-semites. For almost all clubs in England, there is a minority of the support that engages in hooliganism and far right/EDL type behaviour. Bottomline is that it DOES exist at Man U, just as it does elsewhere. I think there are a few examples that would serve to show that sometimes far-right orgs are more active in areas that do appear to be more welcoming and allow for minorities to integrate.

Brings to mind a recent event in Canada, in which a radio listener complained about the playing of a 25 year old song, Dire Straits' 'Money for Nothing'. The irony of Mark Knopfler's use of the word 'faggot' was obviously lost on the myopic individual, not to mention the broadcasting regulator which upheld the complaint and banned the song from Canadian airwaves, in its unedited form. Again, an example of how an offensive word can be rendered impotent or, in well-meaning but misguided hands, not. PS Go Spurs!

No, the ideal world would see the constant use of 'ethnic/sexual orientation/religious descriptors', but with no pejorative intent or implication. Diversity of ethnicity, sexual orientation or religious association should be celebrated and enjoyed, not ignored.
We wouldn't have managed to cram anything like the amount of darts play into our short breaks at my school, if we hadn't had the ready method of forming teams provided by the permanently chalked up team names, 'Yids' and 'Yoks'. My only dissatisfaction with my 'Yok' status was that the 'Yids' seemed both to win more frequently and knew all the best jokes.

The politics and class of race are so complex. In this century it is agreed all across the politcal spectrum that equality of the races is a laudible aim ... and that we must all resist the temptation to swear in a foul-mouthed manner!

A new psychology, an absence of malice, a desire untainted by looking down, unalienated by looking up, would enable people to be free from the mental pollution of race based thought categories. Free to see a world of diversity and difference in its true light.

Racism must be resolutely opposed.

And those employed in education must demonstrate the character they wish to build in their students by teaching real knowledge of psychology and sociology and philosophy with a view to making the world a better place where racism withers away ... to be replaced with a recognition of the world as a complex place of diversity and difference.

I'm sorry Hedgefundguy but a headline 'Soccer and Racist Language' would probably make all non-US readers think that the article was about US fans.

Soccer, nowadays, is what Americans call football (the rest of us call it football because nearly all the team kick the ball, not throw it or kick each other ... legally) and as a blog in a British paper the usage is entirely correct.

Ten plus years ago I chanced to meet one of West Ham United's recent signings, a former Arsenal player who went on to make quite a name for himself on TV. I asked him about his feelings for the coming season, being a passionate Hammers fan, his answer: "as long as we beat The Yids, I don't care". It seemed about as respectful as using the "C" word....